Hear me out. The other night, my husband and I watched "Murder By Numbers" (I know, I know...old flick...but Netflix rocks), and I couldn't help but realize that her character is almost the same in every movie. The tomboy-ish, uncompromising woman that pushes away every guy she likes because of some painful experiences in her past. I mean, look at her track record, "The Proposal," "Hope Floats," and "Ya-Ya Sisterhood." Even her character in "Miss Congeniality" carried that flair.This got me thinking. Her characters are a mirror, not only to me, but our culture of women at large. If you aren't like her, then you at least recognize that her movies portray these roles as admirable in pop culture. The message? Be a little rough around the edges, sometimes ill-mannered, goofy but smart, mostly brunette, and put yourself first so you don't get hurt. This is what men and (dare I transition here) God wants, right?
Not really. But this is where womanhood kinda stinks. I mean, charm school is outdated, people, and June Cleaver is about as popular as beepers. Women identify with being hard nosed and aggressive nowadays, even though it often times bites us back by alienating us with strained relationships. But it seems we can't win in the culture wars, no matter what's popular. Here's perhaps a bit more of a consolation fail, as we take a real look at our sinful natures as women. "To the woman he [God] said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3:16.
Ouch. The reality is women are not only built like Bullock's characters, we're worse. No amount of therapy, Martha Stewart, or MTV "Made" shows are going to change that. Even the June Cleavers of the world are united in this, since God is talking about the curse given to all women at the Fall. Besides pain in childbearing, any thoughts, words and actions we have about wanting to and usurping our God-given husband's, father's, boss's, and pastor's authority (or anyone in authority over us for that matter), is sinful. And that, we have to admit, is something of which we're all guilty.
But Genesis 3:16 doesn't stop there, leaving our aprons out to dry and making us think we can rectify the situation by somehow behaving differently. Genesis 3 doesn't just tell us exactly how God curses humanity because of Adam and Eve's disobedience...but also, how He resolves it. By the way, before anyone rears their ugly feminist head...read Genesis 3: 17-20. God curses Adam in three verses, whereas Eve gets only one verse.
But verse 15 is the sweet, sweet Gospel...even before (which I find particularly fascinating) hearing all of this condemnation, since it's all about Jesus. God tells Satan and His fallen creation that He will be sending His son, Jesus (Whom they have already met), through a woman to crush the head of the serpent and deliver man (and thus, woman) from their sin and death.
Doesn't that just amaze you? I mean, Adam and Eve's disobedience and sin made them want to run and hide from God. And yet, God comes to them, even in their sinfulness then (and in ours now), bringing them Jesus. They couldn't ask for Jesus then, and we can't ask for Him now, either. But only BECAUSE of Jesus can we know the gift of grace and justification. So, while it still stinks to be a woman now as much as it did back in Genesis, only in Jesus can we truly receive the gift of our vocation and understand it as such. In other words, none of us can tout, "I am woman, hear me roar," without first saying, "I am woman, thanks be to God!" because God first makes His presence known in our lives.
Now roar. Or, just go about your business in Christ.
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